


Gotta End It Tonight~

by C_A_T_M



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Cheating, Children, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Misunderstandings, Single Parents, Yoo Kihyun Is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 09:52:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18658039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_A_T_M/pseuds/C_A_T_M
Summary: Hoseok has always had a soft heart, with too much love to give and barely any restraint. It resulted in his child and now also his heartbreak?





	Gotta End It Tonight~

He was so warm, so comfortable, so at ease. Hoseok felt like he was floating, on cloud nine as he felt perfectly relaxed.

Something was not right. 

Eyes snapping open, he jerked his head to his left and almost screamed at the time displayed on the clock: 9:32am. 

Oh shit! He was so goddamn late!

Nearly jumping out of his skin, he grunted and pushed aside his covers, only to pause and slow down his movements when he realised who exactly was beside him, and had been beside him the entire night: Jiyeon, his beautiful daughter. 

Swinging a leg over the side of the bed, he got up as slowly as he could and pulled the covers back over her small body. For a few seconds he paused, watching her chest rise and fall with love swelling in his own, lips pulling into a pout as she rested peacefully. 

However, she was allowed to be at ease; he was not. He was late! And just watching his daughter get the rest she deserved wasn't a good enough excuse. Walking away from the bedroom, each step harder than the last, he sighed silently and glanced over his shoulder behind him, stalling for only a moment before he closed the door. 

His first client session of the day was due to start in less than 28 minutes and she hadn't even eaten his breakfast yet. Hoseok always liked to pride himself on his punctuality but it seemed like playing with toys with Jiyeon had worn him down more than he thought it would. 

Tiredness etched into his features, he opened the fridge and pulled out the milk and fruits, placing them on the counter while stifling a yawn. The whispers of temptation tugged at his mind, begging him to go back to bed and forget about the world, but alas, he knew that would be less than impressive to his client. 

He closed the fridge door, pausing to look at the drawings stuck onto them with a fascination that never left him, not even after seeing them every day for month now. It was so hard to believe that it was his own flesh and blood that had drawn that, and that it was his wonderful child that had fun upto him with smiles and sunshine asking if he liked it. 

Of course he liked it, he had reassured, there was never anything that he didn't like. Her eyes had been so wide, glimmering a brilliant brown under the bright classroom as he squatted down to nod. 

Exhaling with a pleased noise, he tore his eyes away from the distraction and set about blessing his smoothie. As much as he would have liked to make some pancakes and chow down, he knew it wasn't practical.

But then he remembered, midway through pouring the milk into the blender with a sharp gasp. Jiyeon had no school! It was closed for a teacher training day and now he had TWO crisis' on his hands. 

'Damn it,' he hissed internally, shoving the milk back into the fridge, 'what do I do?' 

Well, he had two options: Either try to find a baby sitter and risk being even later to his session _or_ he could annoy one of his friends by asking them to take care of her for a little while. 

Within a second, he was whipping out his phone and messaging Kihyun. Of course the short man would give him grief but he also adored Jiyeon and probably wouldn't mind having to look after for a while, he just prayed that Kihyun wasn't busy today. 

Wonho: Hey

Wonho: Can you look after Jiyeon for me today?

Wonho: Sorry I'm just really late and she has no school

Wonho: please?… 

Kihyun: You owe me

Kihyun: But okay

Wonho: Thanks ur a lifesaver

Kihyun: You can kiss up to me later, Hyung

Kihyun: Hurry up here

Beaming, he tucked away his phone and quickly poured a bowl of cereal for her, walking back to the bedroom and opening the door. She looked so calm and delicate that he felt immediate guilt at the prospect of waking her up. 

But it had to be done and he swallowed down the heaviness in his chest. It would never get easy for him to rouse her from her sleep, he remembered that he was late to her first day of school just because he couldn't bare the thought of not seeing her the entire day. 

His friends thought he was soft, he thought he was just a loving father. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he trodded over slowly to the small bundle in the sheets, faintly hearing the blender turn off in the background. He needed to hurry up.

"Jiyeon, my sweetheart?" Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gently shook her. That seemed to do the trick, her brows furrowing as she stirred, only to turn on to her other side and making him sigh. "Wake up, you're going to uncle Kihyun's house." 

At this, her eyes snapped open to reveal the beautiful brown eyes she'd inherited from his, large and expressive but currently hazy with sleep. Her mouth widened in a yawn, eyes closing but tearing up as she stretched. "Uncle KiKi?" 

Heart melting, he nodded. There was no way in hell that he would ever stop being whipped for her; his precious baby girl.

"Yes, we have to leave quickly. Appa needs to go to work," slowly sitting up, she exhaled loudly and nodded, still too sleepy to comprehend much. Arms extending, he was more than happy to pick her up, her head lolling on his shoulder as he suppressed the urge to squeal. 

Eyes glancing quickly over to the clock, he nearly had a heart attack. 9:57. Unless he had magically gained transportation skills, he was going to be ridiculously late. And thus was the beginning of his very hectic day. 

Thankfully, it hadn't taken him longer than 15 minutes to get her to eat (his own smoothie downed at unhealthy speeds) and all he really had to do was get her changed and for him to find his gym bag.

Rushing into the flat building, he decided that the lift was moving too slowly from the fourth floor and decided that hoisting Jiyeon on his shoulders and running up the stairs was his best bet, that's exactly what he did. Jiyeon didn't seem to mind it one bit, holding onto his hair and giggling adorable, his own lips pulled into a goofy grin. 

By some kind of miracle, he managed to reach the second floor before the lift had even reached the third and he had barely broken a sweat!

"Look! 15! That's uncle KiKi!" Patting her leg, he gave her a quick word of praise and jogged over, lowering his body to let her ring the doorbell. Chewing his lip, he nervously checked the time and found it to be 10:20. His first client checked in at half past. 

He doubted Yukhei would be too bothered by five minute delay but that didn't erase the guilt he would feel. Shuffling from one foot to the other, he waited impatiently for the door to open.

Finally, after what felt like ten years, the door finally opened and he breathed a sigh of relief. Only to be met by confusion and an unfamiliar face that most definitely did not belong to Yoo Kihyun. 

Staring at him with a strange mixture of bewilderment and interest, he couldn't help but stare back. Her hair was messy and her clothes were wrinkled, like she had just stumbled out of bed and haphazardly pulled on whatever she found. Neither of them spoke and he could feel his ears beginning to heat up from the awkwardness of the situation. 

Though, he had to admit, she was good looking. With each contour and dip of her face, there was something interesting and youthful. 

However, the moment didn't last too long before she was shoved aside and the door opened fully, revealing a more put together Kihyun, his dead pam expression quickly morphing into a colossal grin at the sight of Jiyeon. 

"Jiyeonnie! How are you? Hoseok lowered himself, letting her jump off and run straight into Kihyun's open arms. "You're as cute as ever, have you been eating all your rice?"

Jiyeon's cheeks puffed up, a tiny fist hitting her chest. "Yes! Like you told me too!" For the hundredth time that day, he felt his heart hurt and he knew she would be in good hands. Maybe being around someone so adorable all the time wasn't good for his health. 

 "Thank you so much, Kihyun, I promise I'll make it up to you but I'm really late and I should leave," The verbal vomit that left his mouth had his ears flushing a darker red, only further adding to his humiliation as Kihyun laughed, that same devilish grin he always has plastered across his lips. 

"That's great, but you should go," Jiyeon nuzzles into Kihyun's side, playing with his dyed brown hair with fascination. "Don't want to keep your clients waiting." 

God, he hated how smug Kihyun sounded when saying that, as though he was off to do something dirty instead of just meeting up with his client that just wanted him as personal trainer. He knew that he only did it to embarrass him as well in front of the girl he didn't know. 

"Yeah," choosing to disregard the shorter man, his gaze turned warm and gently as he placed a gentle kiss to Jiyeon's cheek - the girl beaming happily and poking her father's cheeks. "I'll see you later, my princess."

"Bye bye Appa!" She called, cheeks full and doe eyed; Hoseok could have cried. 

Then he looked at the time and was off like a shot down the corridor, leaving behind nothing but a smirking man, a confused woman and an endearing child.

* * *

 

"Hey Hyung, you good? You look a little sweaty," Yukhei teased, looking at Hoseok with a mischievous glint in his youthful brown eyes. 

Knowing full well that he hadn't done shit to work up even a modicum of sweat, he laughed and shook his head at the younger boy's question. "I'm okay, I was just running late today and - Xuxi, don't mess around with the weights - I guess I'm just a little bothered from that."

Yukhei nodded, standing back up from his squats and removing the weights before picking up two separate dumbbells. "Did Jiyeon have school today?"

Hoseok nodded, sitting on top of the few boxes that contained equipment while swinging his legs, "no. If she had school I probably would have been on time but I dropped her off instead with Kihyun. I still feel bad."

At this, Yukhei frowned. "Why?"

"Because I don't want them to feel like they have to take care of her," Not stopping his reps, Yukhei gave him a funny look, shaking his head.

Despite the fact that he was only really a client to Hoseok and had no further contact than finding out what kind of workouts he could do, he couldn't help but feel protective over the older man. He was kind and considerate, never scolding him or making him feel bad when he did something silly or was unable to properly translate his thoughts to korean. 

"They don't. They would have stopped talking to you or refused. Jiyeon is a nice girl and you're doing a good job with raising her," Yukhei was pleased to see Hoseok smile, eyes nearly disappearing as he beamed at the younger man.

"Thank you," then he pointed towards the floor, "I know you've been cheating on your plan."

The smile on Yukhei's face dropped while Hoseok's only seemed to get wider. "How?"

"Intuition. Now what did you cheat with?" Obviously there was more but he wasn't stupid, he had seen the chocolate wrapper in Yukhei's bag when he had been getting out his water bottle. 

The poor boy looked like a kicked puppy, his lips curling downwards and big brown eyes peering up at him through his thick lashes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. As long as you're eating healthy, a few snacks here and there won't do anything bad to you, Xuxi," Instantly brightening up, the younger boy looked pleased, cheeks full and hues full of childish wonder and innocence.

"Okay!" 

Hoseok noted with delight, that Yukhei reminded him of Jiyeon. They both shared the same curiosity as well as the same motivation - happiness and gratification. Maybe that's why Yukhei was his favourite client, because he was so similar to his daughter that he couldn't help but care for the boy. 

Then again, even his daughter managed to do silly things sometimes. 

"What did I just say? Yukhei! Stop messing around with the weights!"

"But Hyung!~"

* * *

 

The day couldn't have gone any slower, already eager to leave as it was and with the way the minutes were dragging, he was so close to losing his mind. He just wanted to go home and rest, maybe even eat something that he could whip up within a few minutes; that was effort though and ranked very low on his 'am I bothered?' list.

The bag on his shoulders swung gently with each step, a soft smile on his face and his hair brushed away. Yukhei had thanked him profusely (like he always did) and left before he was dealing with another client called Jeongguk. This kid was a little older than Yukhei and he wouldn't have guessed it if he didn't have all of Jeongguk's details.

They both had endless amounts of energy and by the end of both of their sessions, Hoseok was thoroughly tired out.

Knocking on the door, there was a five or so second delay while he heard footsteps approaching the door. It opened to reveal Kihyun and his signature smile and a movement aside to let him in. "Jiyeon's playing in the bedroom."

"By herself?"

He shook his head. "With (y/n)."

Kihyun didn't opt to elaborate further and he found it funny how Kihyun was avoiding the topic, raising a brow and watching as the grin was accompanied by a roll of his eyes. "Shut up, Hyung. She's just a friend, she's staying with me until she can find a place to live."

"So you're not together?" 

"No, Kihyun would drive me up the wall," a new voice cut in, the two men swivelling around to see her with Jiyeon situated happily on her hip, "I like him but we're better as friends."

She moved closer, Jiyeon wriggling out of her grip to run to her father with a pleased exclamation of 'Appa!' Immediately, he was on his knees, giving her a hug as he lifted her up effortlessly and swung her around. 

"I'm (y/n), but Kihyun has already told you that. It's nice to meet you," With a quick bow, he smiled and returned the gesture.

"I'm Hoseok," She nodded, her hair a less messy than when he had first seen her and her clothing was now neat (even if they were still night wear), her gaze drifting to Jiyeon who was hanging off of her father bicep. 

"She's beautiful. Really intelligent too, you're doing an amazing job raising her," Kihyun has more that likely told her that he was a single parent but he couldn't have cared less. The compliment made him grin widely, heart filling with warmth as he readjusted her and held her to his chest. Every compliment about his daughter never failed to make him beam, it meant the world to know that his struggling wasn't taking away from her. 

"Thank you," he was too preoccupied to notice he how Kihyun's gaze was suddenly sharper, almost devilish as he rocked back and forth on his feet. 

"You should stay for lunch. We have food ready, we were just about to eat," Like hell he was about to refuse free food, nodding eagerly as Jiyeon spoke a few sentences about wanting ramyeon. 

They all slowly drifted from the hallway to the table set up in the middle that held enough room for 5 or so people if they were sitting closely. 

Kihyun was bringing down the bowls, assisted by his temporary roommate as she set them up, waving away Hoseok's concerns when he asked if she needed any help. It honestly hadn't taken longer than two minutes to set up everything and the atmosphere was warm and homely as everyone settled into their seats. 

Hoseok was sat beside Jiyeon with Kihyun and her on the other side, the food ready for everyone to take as they pleased. "Help yourself," Kihyun urged, already on his knees to put noodles on to Jiyeon's plate as she held the chopsticks between her small and chubby fingers. 

"Did you move here?" Hoseok asked, watching Kihyun poke her with her elbow in the side as she twirled her chopsticks around in the noodles. "Or did you live here originally?" 

Her head tilted towards, eyes bright with curiosity and a little bit wide, like she had been startled. Hand stilling, she tilted her head. "I moved here from Daegu. It was nothing special really, I found a job here in Seoul but not a job and Yoongi knew Kihyun." 

His attention that had been on her drifted when he felt a light tug on his sleeves, looking down to see Jiyeon's lips pulled into a little pout as she pointed towards the pickled radish. His hand lifted the slightest amount but she had already beat him to it, picking up and placing a bunch of them on the corner of her plate, brushing her thumb against Jiyeon's cheek in the process and brightening up at the giggle. 

Kihyun's eyes caught his and his brows wiggled, Hoseok's gaze tearing away instantly to focus on his food. And it was delicious, the flavour almost making him hum in happiness. 

"You know Yoongi?" 

"Yeah, known him for a while now. I met him underground while I worked as a bartender," Everyone was aware of Yoongi's infamous underground works, slowly bringing himself up and now working steadily at a company where he produced his own music. 

The conversation was small but nice, easing his mind and Jiyeon definitely didn't seem to mind, more than happy to slurp away at her food and pretend they were worms. "Appa, look! White worms," Kihyun snorted at the description but quickly pretended to be drinking his broth upon feeling two sets of glares settle on his skin. 

"Worm? They look like Kihyunie's fingers to me," It was Kihyun's turn to glare, burning holes into her body as Jiyeon began to mutter repeatedly about how they were 'uncle Kiki's fingers.'

Hoseok, with one hand occupied with ruffling his daughter's hair, stuck his tongue out at Kihyun. "You're living with him until you find somewhere to live, right?"

"Mhm," She said, eyes sparkling and lips glossy with broth. He thought she looked really pretty. "I am."

And then Hoseok's calm and collected smile seemed to rapidly grow, almost splitting his cheeks before he cleared out his throat. "Good luck, you'll need it."

"Oi!"

The meal passed by quickly and he was happy to not have to cook when they went home, with her generously packing the leftovers and handing them over in a container while still maintaining a broad smile. 

She briefly squatted down to talk to Jiyeon, praising her for how much of a good girl she was and that she was the smartest person she knew. Hoseok melted and continued to do so even after she left to go into her room; that left Kihyun to escort him to the door. 

Kihyun stood in the doorframe, closing the door almost all the way before sticking his head out. "I think she likes you."

Oh, how he hated Yoo Kihyun. 

Ready to turn around and walk away, hand already in Jiyeon's, Kihyun flailed and grabbed his bicep. "I'm not joking. She was interested. If you think she's interesting too, you should go for it."

He paused for a moment, contemplating before he nodded. He did think she was a cool person and he could see himself being around her more often, especially with how well she handled Jiyeon. "We'll see."

That was good enough for him, Kihyun giving him one final thumbs up before closing the door in his face and leaving him to shake his head and pick up his daughter. 

Maybe he could give her a chance; it wouldn't hurt to try.

* * *

 

"Yeonie-ah, tell me if you see the cereal, okay?" Since she was perched on his shoulders, fingers digging into his hair, she was at the perfect height to see the whole of the aisles and to spot her favourite cereal. He hummed, taking childish amusement in tickling her legs as she nodded and chirped an 'okay!'.

 

She was quiet for a few moments, swinging her legs gently as he filled his basket, putting in different foods and grinning when he found the animal shaped pasta Jiyeon was fond of. Then she gasped loudly, hands tightening almost painfully in his hair as he reached up to smooth the rough touch. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Eunnie! She's here," Now he was thoroughly confused, attempting to stand on his tiptoes to look over the aisles. There weren't really many women in his life apart from his mother, so to hear her call someone 'eunnie' was startling. "From Uncle KiKi's house!"

Mouth forming an 'o', he decided that he should at least say hi, considering how excited Jiyeon seemed. "Down," Lowering her down, he followed her quickly as she ran down the aisles and into the bakery section. 

A pleased exclamation of 'Jiyeonie!' reached his ears before the visuals did, rounding the corner to see Jiyeon at her side with a delighted grin spreading across her face. 

"Ah, you've gotten cuter since I saw you last time! How are you, my sweetie?" His heart immediately swelled, finding peace in the image before him. Jiyeon looked so happy and she looked to be absolutely smitten. 

Maybe a relationship with her would work, especially now that he knew Jiyeon wouldn't make her run away. Plus, he couldn't help but notice how pretty she was even under the ridiculous white lights of the small store. 

"Where's your appa, Jiyeonie?" A small finger pointed in his direction and he felt his heart stutter as she made eye contact, warmth and kindness shining back at him. "Oh, you found him."

Beaming down at Jiyeon with a soft pinch to her cheek, the little girl slotted her hand with hers and swung it, rocking on the balls of feet while doing so. 

"You found her," Hoseok spoke, walking towards her with a grin, "huh, I wasn't expecting you here." 

As soon as those word left his mouth, he was cringing internally. Why the hell would he say something so stupid?

As if noticing her internal embarrassment, she laughed and shook the basket hanging off her arm. "I've taken up the grocery shopping for Kihyun."

He nodded, absentmindedly chewing on his lip, "you haven't found a home yet?" 

"Not yet. I'm still looking, it's taking a while though. Every place I look at is too small for what I'm wanting, I think I'll look for a house instead of a flat," at this, he let out a noise of amazement. Houses cost a ton more than flats and it could potentially take years to save up for even a two bedroomed one. "I'm aiming high."

Just as he was about to open his mouth, Jiyeon looked up at her and pouted, arms held out. "Can you hold me please, Eunnie?"

"Jiy-" Opening his mouth to scold her, he was dismissed by a wave. She reached down and easily put Jiyeon on her hip, the girl resting her head on her shoulder happily, laughing as the clothing tickled her neck. 

God, she was so cute.

"I guess you're stuck with me, want to shop together?" Though her words were confident, he noticed the nervousness in her eyes, bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she waited for his response. 

He would have been a fool to say no - moving to her side and nodding encouragingly. "I would love to."

People were always quick to point out how quickly he became smitten with people - his easily won heart was the entire reason Jiyeon had come into existence after all. But as he walked around the shop with her, slipping things into his basket while sharing laughter and jokes, he was unable to stop his heart from fluttering and from his grip from becoming sweaty. 

He had even let her convince him into buying Jiyeon a chocolate, (not that he would have refused anyway, but he wanted Jiyeon to remain healthy) a feat that not many others had managed before. Jiyeon seemed to be especially thankful for this. 

Time seemed to rush by too quickly, the trio already approaching the counter to pay after dawdling for a stupid amount of time in the crisps and confectionary aisle. 

As she was paying, Jiyeon now at his side, he didn't want her to leave just yet. "Would you like to come over? You can have something to eat with us?"

It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to reply with a nod, putting her things away into the bags and thanking the cashier before moving over to his side. "As long as you don't poison me."

"I promise I won't," he chuckled, returning her laughter.

He loved how easy she was to converse with, never too overbearing nor too shy. She spoke with confidence but also timidness when asking about things to do with him, her personality shining through and painting a halo on her head. 

Returning home, he invited her to sit on the couch, apologising for the mess. "I welcome it," she had said, "living with neat freak Kihyun gets tiring."

Shaking his head, he left to go to the bedroom with Jiyeon, picking out her pajamas so she could change comfortably. In all honesty, Jiyeon knew mostly how to dress herself, he just wanted to leave quickly so he could text Kihyun.

Wonho: Hey Kihyun

Kihyun: yeah?

Wonho; What do I do?

Wonho: She's at my house

Wonho: And she's sat on the sofa

Kihyun: So that's why she's late

Kihyun: too busy with you ðŸ‘€

Wonho: Yeah

Wonho: I really like her

Wonho: She's really good with Jiyeon

Wonho: And I like her

Kihyun: Then ask her out

Kihyun: What's so hard about that?

Wonho: Everything

Kihyun: Stop being cowardly Hyung

Kihyun: She likes you too

Kihyun: Wouldn't stop talking about how cute you and jiyeon are and that she wanted to squish your cheeks too

Kihyun: Sickening

Wonho: Really?

Kihyun: Really

Kihyun: Now go! Ask her out!

He looked over at Jiyeon, wanting to see if she had managed to get dressed, only to see her fast sleep with one arm out of her shirt. She had worn herself out. 

Shaking his head, a fond glimmer in his eyes, he tucked her into the bed, making sure to cover her thoroughly before giving her a kiss on the forehead, whispering an 'I love you' before shutting the door behind him. 

She was still sat on the couch, the bags of food on the floor by her feet as she scrolled on her phone, head snapping up when she heard his footsteps. 

He brought over two glasses of juice, silently apologising once more. "Jiyeon fell asleep. I guess it's just me now."

The smile she gave was blinding, the tips of his ears blushing pink as he returned the gesture. "You're doing so well with her, I admire you a lot."

No amount of words in the universe could have described how he felt to hear those words. To many a time had he been sat alone in his room with a sleeping Jiyeon just a wall away, contemplating if it was worth it; if the years he spent raising her was going to be of any use. Doubts and the nagging voice in his head were easy to ignore until they weren't, booming in his mind until he was forced to listen. 

To hear those words, however small, brought tears to his eyes. 

"Thank you," her hand touched his, warmth from her palms spreading throughout his body, "you have no idea how much that means to me."

He could almost hear the cogs turning in her head but she remained silent, thumb rubbing over his knuckles. 

"I love Jiyeon but it's hard sometimes. With my job and because her mother isn't in the picture anymore," deciding she should at least know the brief background before he asked her to go on a date with him, he carried on, "She was young and she didn't want a child born out of wedlock. I only just managed to convince her to have Jiyeon on the grounds that I would have full custody."

"Are you angry at her for that?" He blinked, not expecting that question. Most people asked if he regretted it while others shook their heads. 

"No," he shook his head, "I'm not. I understand why she didn't want to keep Jiyeon. Her family would never have approved and I was also part of the reason why she was pregnant. It wouldn't be right to be angry at her. I can't be angry, I have Jiyeon now because of her," she nodded, brushing away the tear that glistened on his cheek. 

"Jiyeon really is a treasure. You're lucky to have her and she's lucky to have such an attentive father," In a move completely contrasted to the tear that wet her skin, he laughed, head resting on her shoulder. 

It was a calm silence, one that fulfilled him in a day he hadn't experienced for a long time. It was just the thing he needed to steady himself enough to speak again. 

"You know what would make me and Jiyeon the luckiest person?" 

Her eyes were wide, head tilted in confusion. "What?"

"You."

* * *

 

MC: I'm sorry

Wonho: It's okay

Wonho: Don't worry about it

It most certainly was _not_ okay and he was once again left wondering if maybe his soft heart had gotten him into trouble again. For the past month or so she had become increasingly distant, constantly backing out of dates or never even agreeing. It seemed like she was making up excuses, pulling things out of a hat to try and get away from him.

The only time he saw her now was when she dropped Jiyeon off at his house when she picked her up from school on the days he couldn't. 

He didn't like that, he hated it actually. Hoseok would be lying if he said he wasn't ridiculously smitten with her since day one, even now he couldn't breathe a single bad word about her. 

For over a year now he had been in a relationship with her and he wondered if it would just remain at that; a year of his life that had been enjoyable while it lasted. 

"Appa?" Glancing down at the girl that called for him, her cheeks plump and raven black hair falling around her face, "when can I see Eunnie?"

Feeling his heart break, he swallowed roughly. The last thing he wanted to do was tell Jiyeon that she would no longer be in the picture. It would tear her tiny heart into pieces, especially because she wouldn't fully understand why. 

"We'll see, Jiyeonnie. She's just busy these days," his phone buzzed, attention pulled away from her as she busied herself with toys strewn in front of her. 

MC: About moving in with you

MC: I can't

MC: Sorry Hoseok

MC: I have to do somethings with Kihyun

MC: I'll make it up to you 

'No you won't,' he thought almost bitterly, 'you've been saying that for the past month and you haven't done anything.'

And then, like that devil whispering in his ear, a thought wormed its way into his head; what if she was cheating on him?

It would make sense. All the times she declined doing anything, how she stayed in the shared flat for days on end, how Kihyun and her seemed to be growing closer than before. 

He had even once seen them both out together, laughing and smiling as they wandered around the city centre. Now, he didn't find anything inherently wrong about that, but she had cancelled a date earlier saying that 'she was doing work' and that 'she couldn't come out.'

His lips twisted into an ugly frown, the seed of doubt now planted as he stared at his phone.

MC: Hoseok?

He didn't reply, tossing his phone on to the sofa and standing up to walk to Jiyeon. "Sweetheart?" 

Playing with a pig tail, he sighed, "how would you feel if Eunnie couldn't play with you anymore?"

Jiyeon frowned instantly and he felt horrible to have been the cause of that expression change, her expressive eyes showing the sadness she didn't manage to conceal. "Why? I want to play with her. She's so nice and she knows how to play fighters with me."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he gathered her up in a soft hug, ignoring the stinging at the back of his eyes. "No reason, baby. Don't worry about it."

* * *

 

It had been a week since he'd last seen her or replied to her, choosing to ignore her steadily growing spam of messages and calls. It hurt and it was childish but he knew that it would hurt much less later on than knowing that he was being cheated on. 

If she was going to cheat, she could at least attempt to be discreet.

He was just finishing his session, patting a sweaty Yukhei on his back with a big grin and proud smile. The younger chinese male had reached his goal long ago but he still continued to come to each session because 'he liked his Hyung.'

The sentiment meant a lot to him and it found himself unable to stifle the enormous grin as he walked out from the studio, waving goodbye to Yukhei who had headed into the changing rooms.

Just as he stepped into the corridor, he heard a voice he didn't want to hear at all. He froze, unable to carry on walking or turn around to face her. 

"Hoseok, why are you avoiding me? What have I done? Please tell me so I can fix it," she sounded like she had been crying, her voice hoarse and words softly spoken.

He stilled, unwilling to face her because he knew once he did he would forget everything - forget that she had been cheating on him and was being selfish. A couple of tears wouldn't deter him.

Seeing that he was about to walk away, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, which he responded with a harsh jerk away from her. The frown on his face made her back away, hand brows furrowed and confusion colouring her hues before it contorted. 

The expression on her face, of hurt and pain, made his insides feel like they were being crushed. The urge to reach out and reassure her was overwhelming, fingers twitching but never actually doing anything. 

"Hoseok..."

His teeth gritted, forcing back his own fresh wave of angry and betrayed tears as he stared her down harshly. "What? You don't have a right to show up here, especially when you've been cheating on me."

Eyes almost bulging out of her sockets, she took a step forward with her lips parting to form pretty words that would deceive him once more. He was fucking over it.

"Don't speak to me or Jiyeon, we're over."

And he left, without a single look back because he knew he would fall right back at her feet. Even so, with every step he took he was unable to stop the few tears of his own that spilled as he hastily ran away from the ruins of his relationship. 

The same heartbreak over and over again, when would he learn?

* * *

 

Kihyun: No offense Hyung

Kihyun: But you're a fucking idiot

Grimacing at the message he received, he was in no particular mood to be talking to Kihyun either. Jiyeon was at school and he had no clients scheduled for today so he was sat in his flat doing fuck all apart from watching cheesy dramas and looking at pictures. 

Wonho: What do you want?

Kihyun: How can you think she's cheating on you?!

Kihyun: Much less with me, we're just friends

Kihyun: She was doing the exact opposite actually

Kihyun: If you don't get out of your house and come to mine right now I'm going to get Shownu-Hyung to go over 

Wonho: .

Wonho: I can't

Kihyun: Jiyeon's at school and today's your day off

Wonho: How do you know that?

Kihyun: She told me 

Kihyun: Get here Hyung

Kihyun: I'm serious I will be so damn mad at you if you don't come

Wonho: Fine

Despite the fact that it was the last thing he wanted to do, he would still honour the friendship he had with Kihyun and would force himself to go. It better have been for a good reason or, in spite of his nice reputation, he wouldn't be very kind.

Reaching the apartment in record time, he was quick to knock on the door. He could only pray that she wasn't home.

No such luck.

The door opened and he inhaled through his teeth, the sound of a sharp inhale filling the air as she stood in front of him. She looked like she had seen a ghost, blinking owlishly at him before she straightened out her clothes. It was strange reminiscent of their first meeting.

Perhaps this was where things went full circle; starting out as strangers and ending once more ad strangers.

Kihyun brushed past, giving Hoseok a pointed look and shoving her out of the front door with a pair of flip flops. "Show him, and don't come back until you see."

With that, the door slammed shut and she was left in the corridor barefoot with her now ex boyfriend. The awkwardness that came from this was almost enough to make him die instantly, feeling her insides curl at the atmosphere that built up. 

Finally, she sighed, rolling her shoulders and slipping her feet into her the shoes provided. "Can I show you?"

Hope and desperation were clear in her voice and he couldn't bring him to refuse, swallowing dryly and nodding. 

"Thank you," She said. 

They walked down to the car park and into her car, sliding into the passenger seat beside her as she waited for him to buckle up. He had remained silent the entire time he had done this, opting to look straight ahead instead of to his side. 

Hearing the gentle taps of her fingers against the steering wheel, the engine rumbled under him and he involuntarily relaxed, memories of peaceful outings and giggling filling his head. Now there was nothing but a painful silence. 

She was biting her lip, hands gripping the steering wheels tight enough for her knuckles to turn white before audibly sighing. "Why-why do you think I'm, I was cheating on you?"

Voice cracking midway through her sentence, he could already tell she was fighting back the urge to cry. 

"You always cancelled dates. I never saw you for more than ten minutes and you were spending so much more time with Kihyun, I even saw you with him once when you said you couldn't go out. I asked you to move in and you said no," Deciding that the best thing to do would be to tell the truth, he let the silence settle over them once more. 

Then she did something unexpected. She began to laugh. It was loud and it was distracting, completely derailing his train of thought as he turned to stare, slack jawed, at her. She was shaking, tears spilling down her cheeks as she hastily wiped them with the back of her hands as she turned into a few off roads.

"Oh god, Hoseok. I can't believe you-" She was muttering almost to herself. shaking her head in disbelief before she pulled up into a street. "Come with me."

Not giving him a chance to refuse, she got out of the car and waited for him to follow, watching intently as he trailed out afterwards. His feet shuffled, shoulders slumped before she guided him towards a driveway of an expensive looking house, with it's beautiful front garden and freshly painted white exterior. 

She stood at the door, reaching into her pockets to produce a key before she unlocked it and let the door swing open. Turning around, she smiled at his dumbfounded expression. 

"This is what I've been spending my time on, Hoseok. I've been trying to figure out this house end I wanted it to be perfect," He was speechless, "I cancelled so many times because I needed time to move furniture and Kihyun helped me decorate the interior and actually get a mortgage on this place." 

His brain was failing to understand what was happening, mouth still dropped open as he stared into the large space behind her and soaked in everything about it. 

"This is yours?" 

"Yes."

"And you weren't cheating on me?"

"No, I would never. I kept it a secret because I wanted to surprise you and Jiyeon."

It was his turn to laugh, cheeks and ears flushing red as he took large and rapid steps towards her, arms flinging themselves around her waist and he pulled her into his body, head resting on her shoulder as he closed his eyes. 

"You did this all by yourself?" He whispered, almost as though anymore volume would potentially shatter her into a million tiny pieces. The soft 'yes' against his ears made him sigh, eyes stinging wildly and nose beginning to run. "I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve that."

Not moving, she spoke again, hand lifting up to trace patterns on to his shirt, voice lower than a whisper as she did so. "It's okay, I was acting shady, but you should have asked me before you made assumptions. Hoseok, I love you, I would never even dream of cheating on you. And I would be such a bitch to even consider hurting Jiyeon like that."

He began to sniffle and she pulled away, thumbs dragging over the skin of his cheeks before she sighed, a smile now on her face as she took his hand and walked him inside. 

"This is what I wanted to show you, I declined moving in with you because I want you to move in with _me,_ " she didn't give time for his mouth to drop open because she was already showing him the interior, a proud and charming smile playing on her maws. "I wanted to make it as good as I could for you and Jiyeon, so I asked Kihyun to help me. That's why I was out with him, we were discussing what we could put in her room."

He felt like an absolute fool, cursing himself for ever having the tiniest sliver of doubt in her. As she walked around, telling him about the space and what she had done for the benefit of him _and_ his daughter, he was reminded of why he was so in love with her. 

The house was beautiful also, big and spacious with plenty of room for Jiyeon to grow up in. It wasn't too far from their flat either so it wasn't a drastic move, everything about it - about her - was perfect. 

Everything was decorated beautifully and he could barely stop himself from crying once he saw the pictures of him and Jiyeon strewn around. There were some of her childhood, one being where she was a newborn and Hoseok was holding her in his arms, fondness and love pouring through the image. 

She stopped just as she reached Jiyeon's room, the door slightly ajar and he could already see the beautiful soft shade of green within it. Gesturing for him to walk in first, he gasped loudly, tears slipping down his cheeks as she walked next to him and rested her head on his arm.

"Do you like it? Will she?"

"Like it?" He choked out, "she's going to love it! You did such a good job!" Unexpectedly, he wrapped his hands around her waist and spun her around, laughing wildly with tears lining his water line. "God I love you, what did I ever do to deserve you?" 

Moving in for a kiss, he was stopped by a hand to his mouth as she wriggled out of his grip. "Two questions first," holding up two fingers, she began counting down, "first question. Will you be my boyfriend?"

And then, like an idiot, she remembered that he had ended the relationship and his lips parted in the beginning of yet another apology. He was cut off by a finger miming for him to shush.

"And two, will you move in with me?"

There was a silence that had the atmosphere spiking, Hoseok's face unintelligible as he seemed to ponder over the questions.

A good few seconds passed before he broke out into a grin, pulling her closely in by the waist. "Yes and yes!"

And then finally, did she let him kiss her, but only after a teasing tut and shake of her head. 

* * *

 

"Hey Jiyeonnie? Are you excited?" The little girl had been buzzing, bouncing on her feet and barely keeping her energy contained ever since she had returned home and found nothing there. 

"Yes!" Hoseok chuckled, glancing into the backseat as she drove, moving a little quicker than the speed limit would allow for but he would let this one pass just once. 

She looked absolutely adorable, with her school uniform still on her and her raven black hair slightly messy from playing all day. The seatbelt was straining under the pressure of holding her down and he breathed a little sigh of relief when she finally pulled onto the road.

"Let's go, do you want to see your new home?" Jiyeon bolted, running straight to her and into the house as soon as she opened the door, earning two chiding but humour filled calls of her name. "Sweetheart, do you want to see your room first? Then you can explore."

Following behind the two of them, he didn't even need to see Jiyeon to know that she absolutely adored the room. It was full of many different things that she loved: action figures, dolls, a desk with lots of markers placed neatly as well as a plethora of cushions on her large bed. 

Hoseok leaned against the doorway, pulling out his phone as he watched her sit on the floor, eagerly playing with Jiyeon. There was no better word to describe the scene than beautiful, the recording perfectly capturing the way his two worlds collided. 

Maybe it was hard dealing with a young child that he wasn't prepared for, but with her at his side, he knew he would never need to worry again. 

This was his family; his complete family.


End file.
